Proper upbringing is every parent’s biggest concern. But at the same time, it can be confusing and difficult with so many ideas and suggestions pouring in from all around. And in this age and time, where there are so many distractions, parents are also worried about raising pious children and bringing them close to religion. Blogger Zunaira, who runs a blog From Dresses to Diapersshared some tips on the subject with The Current.
Zunaira has shared a few tips using her knowledge of child development and religion. She has also listed some mobile apps, tools, and books to assist you in this journey. You can find their Instagram accounts at the end of the posts.
Trainee Sub-Inspector Fahad Iftikhar Virk has submitted his resignation after he was abused by Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umer Sheikh for speaking in English, The Current learnt on Thursday.
“I can no longer serve this department,” read his resignation, a copy of which is available with The Current.
Sources in police department said that Virk resigned due to an altercation with CCPO Lahore Umar Sheikh.
“Virk used some words of the English language over which the CCPO lost his temper and reportedly abused him. He called him ‘Angrez ki aulaad‘,” they claimed.
Police sources further said that they are demoralised and demotivated after this incident.
Rapist sympathiser @CcpoLahore apparently abused fahad and his family for talking in English. Ccpo who has still not given reason to Lahore High court and IG punjab why he blamed the rape victim carries on with his filth. Shameful. @OfficialDPRPP#WeStandWithFahadpic.twitter.com/yJNQuwy8nO
This is not the first time that Sheikh has made headlines for all the wrong reasons as earlier this month, he had landed in hot water for victim-blaming after the horrific motorway gang-rape incident.
The Lahore CCPO had earlier remarked that the rape survivor should have been more careful and taken a safer route.
“I am shocked… you are a mother of three and the only driver late at night… [she] should have taken the GT [Grand Trunk] Road instead, which is densely populated,” he had said while speaking to a private media outlet.
Sheikh had further said that the woman should “at least have checked her fuel before taking the motorway”.
He had later apologised amid a strong public reaction.
Political tensions between India and Pakistan may be at an all-time high but people on both sides of the border are ignoring the negativity and building friendships and relationships. Days after Hrithik Roshan followed Mahira Khan on Instagram, Sonu Nigam posted a picture of himself with Sajjad Ali and recounted their meeting, which took place in March in Dubai.
“This picture is from 19th March when Adel Farooq took us to check and assess Atif Ali’s studio for the first digital live concert that we eventually did on March 22,” wrote Sonu. “Incidentally one of the most respected singers and musicians of all times, and my personal favourite Sajjad Ali bhai was there too with his son and it was so sweet of him to wait till I arrive so we may meet for the first time in our lives.”
He continued: “And then we chatted for an hour and a half.”
“For people who don’t know, his Katna nai is one of my family’s most favourite songs and so was covered by my exceptionally talented sister Teesha Nigam. But before that, I wanted to go about it absolutely respectfully and thus I called Sajjad bhai to seek his permission for the same. It was very very gracious of him to not just give us permission for the same but not even charge for it! That’s called true graciousness,” shared the singer as he showered praises on Ali.
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Reposting the picture, Sajjad said that “it was a great pleasure” to meet the Indian singer.
“One of the most sureela singers of our time,” added Ali.
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Aww, such cross-border love always warms out heart, especially in these testing times.
Around 1,200 children start smoking every day in Pakistan, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of National Health Services, Dr Nausheen Hamid, said on Thursday.
“The data we have has shown that children between ages of 6 and 12 are also among those children who start smoking every day,” Hamid said adding that more than 160,000 people died every year in Pakistan because of tobacco use.
“The tobacco industry tries to attract young generations to become users their customers,” she said.
As per reports, Pakistan has taken several steps to control tobacco use, including banning smoking in all places of public work or use, and on all public transport.
Laws in Pakistan also forbid the sale of smoked tobacco products within 50 meters of any school, university, or educational institution, as well as the sale of single cigarettes and small packets of cigarettes. Youth under the age of 18 are not allowed to but the tobacco products.
Many forms of tobacco advertising and promotion including advertising on TV, radio and print media are also banned.
According to data available on the Pakistani health ministry’s tobacco control cell, there are 23.9 million tobacco users in the country, of whom 15.6 million are smokers.
“5,000 Pakistanis are admitted to the hospitals every day due to tobacco,” the cell said, “and 39 percent of households are exposed daily to secondhand tobacco smoke.”
Australian cricket legend and Pakistan Super League (PSL) champ Dean Jones passed away from a heart attack on Thursday.
Jones, 59, was in India for the coverage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the time of his demise.
He was a two-time winner of the PSL with Islamabad United in 2016 and 2018. The last position he held in the league was the head coach of Karachi Kings in PSL 2020.
He was looking forward to visiting Pakistan for the remainder of the PSL 2020 and even said that all of his side’s foreign players were ready to do the same.
A new study that analysed the coronavirus outbreak in Brazil has found a link between the spread of the virus and past outbreaks of dengue fever that suggests exposure to the mosquito-transmitted illness may provide some level of immunity against COVID-19.
The study, which has not yet been published was led by Miguel Nicolelis, a professor at Duke University, compared the geographic distribution of coronavirus cases with the spread of dengue in 2019 and 2020.
Places with lower coronavirus infection rates and slower case growth were locations that had suffered intense dengue outbreaks this year or last, Nicolelis found.
“If proven correct, this hypothesis could mean that dengue infection or immunization with an efficacious and safe dengue vaccine could produce some level of immunological protection” against the coronavirus, it added.
Nicolelis told Reuters that the reveal was interesting because previous studies have shown that people with dengue antibodies in their blood can falsely test positive for COVID-19 antibodies even if they have never been infected by the coronavirus.
“This indicates that there is an immunological interaction between two viruses that nobody could have expected because the two viruses are from completely different families,” Nicolelis said, adding that further studies are needed to prove the connection.
Brazil has the third-highest total of COVID-19 infections in the world with more than 4.4 million cases – behind only the United States and India. In states such as Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais, with a high incidence of dengue last year and early this year, COVID-19 took much longer to reach a level of high community transmission compared to states such as Amapá, Maranhão and Pará that had fewer dengue cases.
The team found a similar relationship between dengue outbreaks and a slower spread of COVID-19 in other parts of Latin America, as well as Asia and islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Statements by Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Wednesday, who claimed Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif and Shahbaz Sharif had held meetings with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa and head of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, upset many opposition leaders and prompted the military high-ups to step forward to counter his claims.
Shortly after the All Party Conference (APC) and the directions by Islamabad High Court (IHC) for the government to produce Nawaz Sharif, the railways minister predicted an implosion of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), claiming that the process has already started.
He disclosed that some senior politicians of the party had held two meetings with the military leadership. Speaking indirectly, Rasheed seemed to predict a coup or a split. wherein PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif would take over the party.
Rasheed alleged that the arrest warrants and Nawaz Sharif’s anti-establishment statements have caused troubles for the party, a sentiment supposedly held by many members of the PML-N. He predicted that a Shehbaz-led faction will soon arise.
The minister added that PML-N’s senior politicians held two meetings with the military leadership, with the first meeting lasting for five hours. and the second for three. “In one meeting, Khawaja Asif and former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal held an hours long meeting with military leadership while in other meeting Shehbaz Sharif and I sat on same table and ate dinner,” he said.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at a press conference in Karachi said that those conversations are meant to be confidential, and that certain people need to refrain from revealing their details.
“Whenever there s a national security issue, whether it concerns India, AJK [Azad Jammu and Kashmir], GB [Gilgit-Baltistan], FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas], extremism and terrorism, we were, are today and will be together on these in the future,” he said, adding that the PPP and other political parties were approached on September 18 or 19 and invited to a national security briefing on GB.
Bilawal commented that these meeting are officially ‘off-the-record’, and said that he had no choice but to talk about the it “out of helplessness”.
“Some irresponsible persons [Rasheed] who have nothing to do with national security, GB, AJK or foreign policy, and who did not say a word in this meeting, are giving statements on every TV channel these days,” he said.
“I think such actions make national security and foreign policy issues controversial. And whoever’s spokesperson this [person] is, they should immediately ask them to shut up and not say anything irresponsible,” Bilawal said. “You can never be able to create consensus on any issue if such things happen,” he added.
PML-N Ahsan Iqbal denied reports of any one-on-one meeting with army leadership and said that Rasheed was lying about the meeting.
On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz denied reports of a meeting between Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and representative of former premier Nawaz. She was at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for a hearing of an appeal against her conviction in the Avenfield House reference. When asked about the meeting, she said, “I do not know about dinner, maybe it was not a dinner [but] I heard about the meeting.”
She further said political decisions should be made in the parliament and not at the General Headquarters (GHQ).
سیاسی معملات پر جس نے بات کرنی ہے ان کو پارلیمنٹ آنا چاہیے، مسلم لیگ (ن) نائب صدر مریم نواز شریف pic.twitter.com/UuLGy3KWAG
“From what I understand it was called to discuss Gilgit-Baltistan which is a political issue, an issue of the people’s representatives, for them to solve and deliberate upon,” she said.
Maryam said that political issues should be discussed in the parliament and political leadership should be allowed to resolve problems of political nature.
Later, replying to Maryam’s statement, the railways minister remarked, “The day Maryam Safdar starts speaking the truth will be the end of her political career”.
The Pakistan Army finally broke its silence over the controversial statements made about the alleged meetings of political leadership with the military leadership, confirming that the opposition leaders had met with the military top brass twice in past few months.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Major-General Babar Iftikhar told a private television channel that former Sindh governor and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mohammad Zubair had met with the army chief not once but twice in past some weeks.
“One meeting was held in the last week of August and the second meeting was held on September 7. ISI DG was also present in both meetings. Both the meetings were held on request made by Mohammad Zubair and in both the meetings, Zubair raised issues regarding Mian Nawaz Sharif sahib and Maryam Nawaz sahiba,” the military’s spokesperson said.
It is good that DG ISPR, has named PML (N) leader who net not once but twice with army chief and discussed Nawaz and Maryam’s cases. Zubair’s version was too weak. The PML (N) has to come out with explanation or admit NRO request.
“In these meetings, the army chief made it clear to him that the legal issues of both of them would be resolved in Pakistani courts and political issues would be resolved in Pakistani parliament. Army should be kept away from these issues,” the ISPR DG said, adding that he would make no more comments over the issue.
Following ISPR DG’s comments, PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair also confirmed his meetings with the COAS Bajwa.
“Army chief termed matters against the PML-N leaders as legal affairs and said that courts should decide on them,” he said while quoting General Bajwa, and further added that such meetings are held in secret.
I just love how Maryam Safdar keeps exposing herself.
1. Meri London mein tou kia, Pakistan mein bhi koi property nahi
The second meeting was held in the presence of ISI DG, the PML-N leader said. He denied seeking any relief for Nawaz and Maryam during the meetings and said that they discussed political matters.
Zubair claimed that Maryam was unaware of the meetings initially but he later apprised her regarding the contacts made by him. “If I had been seeking relief for Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz then they would have known prior to the meeting,” Zubair said.
He further expressed his ignorance as to why details regarding the meetings are being conveyed to the media.
The day is finally here! Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik’s baby girl has arrived and the happy parents took to social media to make the announcement though they did not share any pictures of their baby.
“Our baby girl is here, healthy & beautiful,” wrote Zayn on social media. “To try put into words how I am feeling right now would be an impossible task. The love I feel for this tiny human is beyond my understanding. Grateful to know her, proud to call her mine and thankful for the life we will have together.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFgP88Ml0NF/
Gigi also shared a picture of her and the baby’s hand and said, “Our girl joined us earth-side this weekend and she’s already changed our world. So in love.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFgSR7mHV7y/
Last week, Gigi’s parents Mohamed Hadid and Yolanda shared pictures of a fully pregnant Gigi and expressed their anticipation for their bundle of joy.
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Malik and Hadid, who have been dating on and off over the years, reportedly met at the 2015 Victoria’s Secret after-party, where the former One Direction musician recognised the model “from her picture”. In an interview, Zayn revealed that he asked her to have dinner with him at a New York City restaurant called Gemma.
“She’s a very intelligent woman. She knows how to carry herself. She’s quite classy and that. She’s not, like, arrogant in any way, she’s confident. She carries it well. She’s cool,” Malik had said in the interview.
They confirmed their romance in December 2015, though they have had several breakups along the way. Their most recent split happened in January 2019, and the couple spent nearly a year apart before they reportedly began casually talking again 11 months later.
In April, the couple gave fans a surprise when they announced that they were expecting their first child together. While Gigi, initially kept details about her pregnancy off social media, telling fans that she wanted to use her platform to focus on the coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, she later posted a series of black-and-white maternity portraits in August. Hadid was in her third trimester when the photos were taken.
Naseeb Jamal, who runs an appliances repair shop in Qasba Colony, Karachi, has taught and trained his daughters to repair different things.
In an interview with Urdu News, Jamal, who has eight daughters and one son, shared that he trained six of his daughters to fix and repair electronic devices, adding that he believes women are fast learners.
Talking about breaking the stereotypes, Jamal said: “People would gossip and called me a rebel. Even my mother said to me that what I was doing was not in line with our traditions and that it was not good for [my] girls to sit at the shop.”
“I trust my daughters and want to equip them with skills in my supervision. What is wrong in that,” he questioned.
“This is the way to strengthen women. They should not just be educated, but skilled as well. If they are skilled, they would bring more pride to their parents, to their country and also to their area,” he added.
Saudi Arabia will gradually resume the year-round Umrah pilgrimage from October 4, the interior ministry said on Tuesday, seven months after it was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the first stage, “6,000 citizens and residents within the Kingdom will be allowed to perform the umrah per day from October 4”, the ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Visitors from outside the Kingdom will be permitted from November 1, when Umrah’s capacity will be raised to 20,000 pilgrims per day, the ministry said.
The Umrah, which refers to the Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah that can be undertaken at any time of year, attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year.
The ministry said Umrah would be allowed to resume at full capacity once the threat of the pandemic is eliminated.
Saudi Arabia suspended the Umrah in March and scaled back the annual Hajj over fears that the coronavirus could spread to the holiest cities.
The decision to resume Umrah was in response to the “aspirations of Muslims home and abroad” to perform the ritual and visit the holy sites, the interior ministry said.
Saudi Arabia’s custodianship of Makkah and Madinah – two holiest sites – is seen as the Kingdom’s most powerful source of political legitimacy.
The holy sites, which draw millions of pilgrims every year, are a key revenue earner for Saudi Arabia, which hopes to welcome 30 million pilgrims to the Kingdom annually by 2030.
